Marshall Island

Almost the entire Pacific region is preparing for the onset of what climate forecasters predict could be one of the worst El Niño events since the late 1990s.

Our correspondent in the Marshall Islands, Giff Johnson, says the system has been building all year, with meteorologists there predicting a drought that could last for six to nine months.

He says the last El Niño-related drought in 1997 was devastating.

Public School System officials outlined the plan for a major change, which will replace the current kindergarten to third grade Marshallese language environment to extend bilingual education through the 12th grade. The presentation was delivered to the hundreds of educators from around the Pacific attending the conference in Majuro.